Tips

Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. You can swap it for any other small pasta, pearled barley, or quinoa. One pound of chicken will yield approximately 12 ounces cooked meat.

Directions

Recipe makes four 3-ounce servings of cooked chicken with one heaping cup of vegetables and orzo.

Place chicken in a plastic bag or on a cutting board. Pound with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or flat side of pan to even the flesh to 3/4 inch of thickness. Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium high heat. Add chicken; saute for 5-7 minutes or until meat is browned on both sides. Add garlic, seasonings, and broth to skillet. Bring to a simmer. Add orzo and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for 6 minutes. Stir in vegetables and continue to simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Toss in drained capers and chopped parsley.

Easy to make but, I did alter it. After adding the broth, spices & garlic, and simmering a bit, I removed the chicken. Then I added the orzo, simmered it a bit more, added the veggies simmered it a bit more. I cut up the chicken breast, added it back in, simmered a little more. WOW! Moist chicken
- 1/4/11

We loved this! I don't buy premade Italian seasoning, so I used abundant oregano, basil, fresh-ground pepper, salt, & a bit of red pepper flakes. Like Ponderful, I cooked the veggies more than 2 minutes. We had never used orzo before, & my husband assumed it was rice (which we DO eat a lot). Yum!
- 9/14/09

This was good but a little bland. I added some salt and black pepper and that helped out a lot. I garnished it with just a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese, which also helped. I also subbed olives for the capers since we're not big fans of them in my house.
- 9/21/09

Delicious and fresh-tasting! I made it with whole wheat Israeli couscous (it's about orzo-sized) instead of the orzo. I followed RuthXG's tips to replace italian seasoning. I also replaced some of the zucchini with eggplant (peeled and diced). I loved the flavor burst of the capers!
- 2/9/10

Pretty good. The recipe should be amended to include chopping the pepper. I added some Mrs. Dash because I was afraid the dish would be bland. I also cooked the veggies and orzo for 5 minutes instead of two. Not necessarily a keeper, but not bad.
- 8/13/09

I made Meg's Mediterranean chicken yesterday, had a girlfriend over to try it with me, and we both loved it! I substituted the Orzo with Acini de pepe (Italian pasta) and black olives. Didn't care for the capers, but friend loved it all.
- 8/9/10

!his sounds like what's for dinner tonight. For anyone that might be interested, there is also whole wheat orzo out there. It's a little pricey for a large plastic jar but it goes a long way!
- 8/23/12

I thought this was really good, cooked my veggies a little longer, to cook the zucchini. I let it sit a little bit so the Orzo would soak up some of the liquid. Will only use 16 oz of broth next time. Husband loved the veggie mix with the Orzo!
- 12/29/11

Loved this with the changes suggested by previous commenters (thank you very much!). Used skinless boneless chicken thighs (had them on hand), which I seasoned with ground pepper, garlic and onion powder before cooking. Used WW orzo, crushed red pepper, kalamata olives and feta. Wonderful!
- 1/16/15

Julia . although Kyle `s storry is flabbergasting, last thursday I bought a top of the range audi after having made $8875 this last five weeks and just over 10-k this past month . it's definitly my favourite job Ive had . I began this three months/ago and practically straight away started earning ov
- 9/26/14

Thought this was very good, might try alittle pepper next time but other then that it was really good. Loved the veggies and the tomatoes were prefect. Used cherry tomatoes because it was what I had on hand.
- 9/13/12

Doubled the chicken because I wanted leftovers. Worked fine with remaining ingredients as given. The capers are an important ingredient to this dish. Will make again while the veggies are in season.
- 8/24/12

I love orzo and really thought this dish would highlight it. NOPE. Like others said, its bland and didn't come out as expected (although I followed the receipe). Its edible but I won't be making this again.
- 8/20/12

We made this with chicken less strips from Trader joe's - very tasty! I was hesitent at first not having been able to cook orzo as well,this time however, it was perfect, Oh skipped the capers to reduce sodium and topped with steamed broccolini!!
- 5/2/12

I had orzo for the first time this past weekend. Had it in a restaurant where they served with tilapia. To the orzo, they added spinach, garlic and sundried tomatoes. I could have eaten a bucketful! lol Wasn't a "weigh me down" pasta but satisfied my pasta craving. Can't wait to try this
- 3/5/12

The chicken in the picture, sure doesn't look like chicken that has been pounded and quantity definitely appears to be greater than 3 oz. It doesn't do much good to put out recipes that give the consumer a greater expectation than what the final product delivers. Promise less, deliver more ...
- 2/16/12

Pretty good meal! Used about double the chicken broth to keep it moist, skipped the capers, used 1/2 can diced italian tomatoes, 1 zuccini and 1 yellow squash. Simple to make and we both really enjoyed the flavor and the leftovers! Will add to my recipe collection. Thanks!
- 1/24/12

Really yummy! I made this with whole wheat orzo, so added a bit more chicken stock and cooked a little bit longer. Very flavorful, and froze well for a "make ahead" meal. Definitely will be making it again.
- 11/2/11

I made this with a can of "olive oil and garlic" diced tomatoes. It was incredible! I think without that, I would've doubled the garlic. I also seasoned the chicken with a steak spice, pepper, and oregano before cooking. And I rub all of my dried herbs to get more flavour out of them.
- 10/2/11

The orzo stands alone - the vegetables have just the right doneness. I would make this to serve with fish, pork or beef. The chicken was dry and maybe needs less cook time. I added about 1/2 of a chopped onion to the broth. Also, I sprinkled with grated parmeson at the table (2 Tbsp).
- 9/29/11

This was good, but I halved everything in the recipe except for the veggies, added a summer squash and a green pepper, and skipped out on the parsley and capers. I read all the other comments about blandness so I added plenty of extra spices, including crushed red pepper, which gave it a nice kick!
- 6/22/11

Great quick dinner! Delicious. I did do a minor change. I used one zucchini and instead of a second zucchini I added asparagus instead. Sprinkled parmesan cheese on top. And I left out the capers. All my family liked it! Will definitely be making this again!
- 4/20/11

I made this dish last night..it was awesome. The flavors were so fresh. I used whole-wheat orzo for an even healthier dish. I also cooked boneless chicken thighs and breasts on an iron grill indoors and served it on the side.
- 3/29/11